Hardware Asylum podcast on evolution of OC & new 3DMARK11 WR!

Yay, Hardware Asylum podcast is out. In case you guys have not heard of these guys before, make sure you visit their website. I would describe them as a down to earth tech website/podcast geared towards a novice to pro level overclocker and a hardware enthusiast alike. The podcast is easy to follow and dissects fairly complex topics and talks about interesting hardware, developments and competitions in this particular episode.

The guys at HA try to tackle Gigabyte’s motherboard overclocking series evolution as well as the world of competitive overclocking and the need to change the format to make it easier and more fun to follow.

Show Notes

Gigabyte Motherboard EvolutionReviewing motherboards isn’t always the easiest and every reviewer tends to look at different aspects. Some are super critical of fan controls while others may only look at feature differences between an entire group. The reviews at Hardware Asylum often focus on features and what makes the board special. Some are designed for overclocking while others may cater to the gamer. One thing Dennis has noticed over the years is that motherboard designs change based on what users are doing in the marketplace.

A perfect example of this evolution is the Gigabyte OC products dedicated to overclocking. Of course overclocking isn’t the only thing you can use these motherboards for but, the marketing has been designed such that overclocking is first.

The rouges gallery contains every “mainstream” OC motherboard that Gigabyte has produced staring with the X58A-OC and ending with the X99 SOC Force. In the podcast Dennis mentions a few unicorns with even more to offer.

A Change to Live Overclocking CompetitionsThere was an article published on Hardware Asylum that talked about how overclocking competitions needed to change if they were to grow into a full ocSport. Some of the points in the article included removing “bin” from the equation and changing the structure to be more of a game that challenged the overclocker to get the best score possible within a limited set of constraints, submit a score and then do it again.

In this segment Dennis and Darren discuss the new competition format and how it can actually make competitions better for everyone from the manufacturers making the hardware to the overclockers dedicating their time to the hobby/sport and the media struggling to find interest in this niche.